Gangotri National Park

Located in the Uttarkashi District in the Garhwalregion ofUttarakhand, GangotriNational Park is a dense reserve woodland placed amidst the highland valley covered in coniferous forests and green meadows and surrounded by the snow-clad mountains. If you don?t visit this national park, you would definitely miss the utmost beauty of nature, which gets reflected in every corner of this reserve forest.

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Enticing beauty of the landscape

The park is an enchantress when it comes to the splendor of its geographical landscape. You will find many gabbling springs, cascading waterfalls, tall trees, and plentiful greenery in the national park and the glacial beauty of the surrounding mountains adds more color to this picturesque scenery of the park. The unparalleled magnificence of the landscape lies in its profound ravines, high elevations, and steep glaciers. The natural vegetation is mainly of coniferous type and many other species of trees are also found here. The Gomukh Glacier, where the holy Ganges originates, is present inside the park and if you want to reach the glacier, you have to pass through rocky terrains. The park spreads to an extensive area of 2390.02 square km. and the high-altitude ecosystem and the trans-Himalayan features of this national park make it different from the others.However, landslides frequently occur in this area making it very difficult to access this heavenly beautiful national park in certain seasons.

Due to the northern winds and the mountainous landscape, the national park experiences cold and dry climate for the most part of the year. The winter months here are excessively cold and during the monsoons, a regular shower is experienced resulting in frequent landslides. However, the summer months bring pleasant weather conditions in the park, making tourism favorable.

Since the park is located at a high altitude, the winter here is bitterly cold making it difficult for exploration of the park. The park remains closed during the five months of winter starting from mid-November and re-opens from around the middle of April. So, the best time to plan a trip to the park is between April and October. This time of the year, the park enjoys long sunny days with a clear sky and warm breeze making it very pleasant for jungle safaris and trekking. The summer temperature ranges from 10 degrees to 25 degrees and the winter temperature from 0 degree to 15 degrees.

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Are there any wildlife sanctuaries present close-by ?

Yes, there are a number of national parks and wildlife sanctuaries present close to this national park in the state of Uttarakhand. They are ? GovindPashuVihar, Nanda Devi National Park, Jim Corbett National Park, Rajaji National Park, Kedarnath Wildlife Sanctuary, Sonanadi Wildlife Sanctuary, Askot Wildlife Sanctuary, Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary, and Valley of Flowers National Park. So, if you have enough time in hand, you can visit these wildlife parks as well.

Animals are the main attraction in any wildlife reserve forest and GangotriNational Park is no exception. Different varieties of animal species can be spotted in this national park making the jungle safaris exciting and gratifying for the tourists. 15 species of mammals and 150 species of avifauna are found here. The wild inhabitants of this national park comprise of Snow Leopard, Tahr, Serows, Alpine Ibex, and many more. Many rare and endangered species are also housed in this national park, such as Black Bear, Brown Bear, Himalayan Tahr, Musk Deer, Koklass, Blue Sheep (Bharal), etc.

Birds like Partridges, Pigeons, Doves, Parakeets,Bulbul, Pheasants, Himalayan Monal, Himalayan Snowcock,Himalayan Barbet, etc. are nested in this national park making it rich in avifauna population.

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What about the dominant flora species in the National Park ?

As mentioned earlier, the primary vegetation of this national park comprises of Western Himalayan Subalpine Conifer Forests and if you move higher up the valley, you will find lush green Western Himalayan Alpine Shrubs and Grasslands providing ample green space in the otherwise rugged valley. Species of trees, such asDeodar, Oak, Chirpine, Spruce, Fir, Rhododendrons, etc. are commonly found in the national park.